September: Return to the Grind

Kris' Paint-by-Numbers, coming right along.

Hey gang.

The Houghs have returned to normalcy. With the School Year in full swing, we've all settled into routines balancing work, school, social obligations, and extracurricular crap. We had a handful of notable things go down this month - mostly a couple concerts (Kris went to see O.A.R. and Alanis Morrisette ), a couple tattoo sessions (Alayna and I), a couple of football games (feat. Abby and the MHS Varsity Pom Team), a Labor Day party (at the Bos'), and a few hangouts downtown with our Tribe. All things considered, though, it was a return to the usual after three months of Summer bliss - not terrible, but definitely not as cool as Summer.

You know, 'cause work.

Anyway, here's how the first month of the School Year went down for us Houghs. Enjoy. . .

The first Friday of the month, Kris and I headed downtown to meet up with a few of the other couples - the Pickvets, the Johnsons, and the Boses - for a night of live music down in The Commons.

(Forget the name of this band - they did a lot of 70s/80s rock covers, though.)

Womenfolk, cluckin' about stuff.

Weather was perfect this evening - God knows we only have a few more weekends like this before it starts to cool off.

Mitch, Erik and Cory

The random band, playing out in front of my Masonic Lodge.

Later on in the evening, Mitch's youngest, Audrey, challenged me to a game of ping pong (which she obviously lost.) See the guy off to the right there? He came up to me and introduced himself, recognizing me as his old cabin counselor from a Sanford Junior High Camp back in like 2001 or something. No idea how he remembered me from like 25 years ago, I guess I haven't aged that much.

She had the audacity to try and play it off like she had beaten me, and I wasn't having it.

The band, still plugging away downtown.

The next morning, I accompanied Alayna down to BrassCat for our sequential tattoo sessions.

She has been wanting to get Watson's paw print done on the backside of her arm for months, and I went in with her at her consultation where she booked her appointment. When Brenton gave her September 5th as a date for her, she asked me to check my calendar to see if I was available to come with (she didn't want to go alone for her first ink job), and I checked my calendar. Lo and behold, I, too, had an appointment for ink on that exact, same day, just later on in the afternoon. So we accidentally booked ourselves a little father/daughter tattoo session for the day.

She wanted a pic of the tattoo placement, so I obliged.

Kris wanted pics of this - as she was downstate at some lame O.A.R. concert today - and Brenton suggested we make it look like it was a super terrifying experience. Everyone here understood the assignment.

He knocked this out super fast, like under 45 minutes or so.

Cleaning things up.

The finished work. He copied the print of Watson's paw EXACTLY - every dot and line from the print was replicated, it was insane.

Meanwhile, downstate (somewhere, I forget which venue they went to), Kris and some of the other couples from The Tribe get ready for some derivative, frat rock.

O.A.R. - one of mankind's most over-rated bands.

Imagine if the Dave Matthews Band thought they were neo-hippies and you kinda get the vibe of this group.

Arguably the whitest-sounding band I've ever heard.

Courtney, Stefanie and Kris

The Pickvets, Griffins, Johnsons, Boses, and Houghs (sans Yours Truly, who would rather die than see this band live.)

The next morning, hanging out in the Study and having coffees with the dog.

Our Rumba vacuum, Gina, ran off with some tent poles that morning. She's an idiot.

The next day, Labor Day, the Bos fam hosted a pool party for folks, starting around noon (everyone had to work the next day so it was more of a mid-day get-together instead of a legit party, per se.)

As always, the guys stood around the island under Mitch's gazebo while the wives sat nearby at the poolside table. We like to segregate the gender around these parts.

Not a huge turnout today - lots of folks were out of town due to it being a holiday weekend and everything.

I was adamant about slaying a fly that relentlessly pestered us.

Erik, Lonnie and Mitch

Never did get that damn fly, unfortunately.

Tom and Collier

Kris, Stef and Danielle

Tons of good food on hand today, though - we're never short of that around here.

Later that evening, winding down with some last-minute TV before the start of the work week, with Samson.

This dude's been increasingly vigilant with squirrels in on our backyard, chasing them into bushes and up trees moreso than previously.

Came across this photoshopped monstrosity in Abby's photo gallery - not sure what's happening here.

With construction in our neighborhood going into its third month (seriously), our neighbors have become increasingly aggressive in warning non-residents from bypassing our 'road closed' sign. It's getting hilarious (as you can see from Kris' Instagram Story one day.)

August in a nut shell (I have no idea who Lorne Balfe is, but I sure as hell don't listen to them.)

Alayna took this while playing with Samson one morning. We're trying to schedule him a vet appointment to get his nails trimmed, because he won't let us touch his paws anymore, and he's already been banned from PetSmart and Muddy Paws for his horrible behavior while getting his nails trimmed. Dude's a hot mess.

Kris came to the back door one afternoon to find Samson had brought his family a little offering, out of the goodness of his heart. I think it's hilarious when animals feel the need to 'provide' for their family.

I don't know what this is. But I'm happy I'm not a girl.

On her day off, while out enjoying a coffee on the back patio one morning, Kris spotted a couple of blue Jays in our backyard. We really gotta invest in a bird feeder one of these days (I'm hesitant because we've got a lot of squirrels in our yard as is.)

The passive aggressiveness in our neighborhood rises. . .

For the idiots who ignore the sign, hit the road blocks at the end of our street, and are forced to turn around in someone's driveway. Must be comforting to read this on their Drive of Shame.

TWO DAYS later, Samson left us another squirrel on the back steps. He's on a roll, I hope he keeps it up and kills every, last one of those damn things.

Abby hung out with a group of girls down by the Tridge one evening, and, because they're teenage girls, it quickly turned into a photo shoot. . .

Fair warning, I have no idea who ANY of these girls are. . .

Are they wearing identical pairs of glasses?

The sun is already setting - how long did they spend doing this?

Is she. . . in a cockpit?  Where the hell is this? So many questions. . .

I've been chipping away at Grandpa Chinery's record collection for the last six months, here and there, looking each one up on Discogs and logging in their value into a spreadsheet that I'm gonna share with the family later (as a way of preserving his collection, in case anyone down the line is curious.) Found this bizarre 'comedy' album where some hillbilly takes a phone call from God (seriously). . . it was JUST as bad as it sounds.

Abby at school. Keeping it classy.

Abby (second from left), out at a pom fundraiser dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings with some of her pom teammates one Wednesday night.

Created an AI image of my house (represented by the wolf, on the throne), reigning supreme over the other three houses on my team at work (we split up our students into 'houses,' like Harry Potter, as something fun to do with the kids throughout the year.) Our first 'House Tournament' this year was kickball, and all the kids were saying my house didn't have a shot at winning it this year. Nevertheless, my Bad News Bears-esque house charged out like vikings and utterly destroyed all the other houses, taking this year's championship. As God intended.

Set up a TV in the Study one Saturday evening while hosting a few of the dads (seeing how our wives were all away at some Alanis Morissette concert.)

There was some big Michigan State game on so I figured I'd oblige the guys, who actually care about that sorta thing (if sports was banned in America starting today, I wouldn't lose a minute of sleep.)

Kris, Renee (Collier's little sister), Courtney, Mees, Danielle, and Lori, arriving at Soaring Eagle for the concert.

I broke out our Halloween decor for the evening, figured it was a good time to do so (considering we're not having a Halloween party this year, it was a good opportunity to show off some of our decorations and what not.)

Bunch of wives getting in touch with their inner-lesbianness at the concert.

I hauled Samson's bed into the Study because he kept wanting to jump up on the furniture with the guys, and it was getting obnoxious. He eventually calmed down, and Alayna - who popped in at one point with her boyfriend, Sebastian - took yet another dog pic.

Meanwhile, back at the concert the wives insisted on another group pic.

Lonnie, Erik and Collier turned out thisrevening. Low-key, but just what we were after.

The following week at work was Spirit Week, and Monday was designated 'Hawaiian Shirt Day.'

Abby at Pom Practice one day after school. . .

Tuesday was Sports Jersey Day (one of the only days I break out my old Charlie Batch jersey.)

We have a new neighbor down the street from us who leans HARD into Halloween. He started to set all this crap up back in late August. Can't wait to see what he does for Christmas. . .

99% of the pics on Alayna's phone (and social media accounts) are of the dog. Just sayin'.

Because 'the times,' Logan proposed to Abby for Homecoming. I'm so glad the proposal thing wasn't around when I was a teenager, I would've despised that shit. Still, Logan clearly has good taste here - I respect the hell out of that sign.

Dancing with Samson in the kitchen.

Kris and Courtney check out a local production of 9 to 5 at Midland's Center for the Arts. Abby was originally supposed to go with Kris but she had to cancel at the last minute due to some pom fundraising nonsense, and Kris had to scramble to find someone to go with her. I reluctantly agreed to go, but she doesn't like taking me to things like this because she knows I loathe musicals with a passion. Fortunately, Courtney came in clutch at the last minute and the evening was saved.

Abby and Brooklyn, doing weird shit in the School Store (I think) Friday afternoon (they're suited up 'cause there was a Home game later on that evening.)

Seriously. Weird-ass kids.

Abby and Juliana in class, later that day.

After school, the various student groups that participate in each game - like the pommers and band nerds - begin to assemble in the glass hallway at the front of the school (nicknamed 'Eyeball Alley,' for whatever reason.)

Quick shot of the team before they head out to the field. It was Senior Recognition Night, hence the seniors here wearing special sashes.

Abby, Ella and Harper, again with this pose of theirs.

Some of the team, on the sidelines, during the opening quarter of the game.

The Gruesome Twosome

With Brooklyn and Nica

This is the only pic I took of the entire night. You got the jist of it in my other post, I don't need to take a shitload of pics and video every, single Home game, folks.

After Halftime, Kris and I went home, opting not to close down a bar again like we did two weeks earlier. Abby, however, stayed for the entirety of the game and then did the whole 'hang out on the field and take pics with all your friends' thing for over an hour, like she always does.

With Kennedy

Abby and Ella, posing with Ella's cousin, Josie (who I guess plays tuba for Northeast - the middle school band joined the high school marching band for Halftime this evening.)

Abby, Ella, Brooklyn, and some friend of theirs from the football team (that suffered an ugly loss this evening to Traverse City.)

The next morning, Abby accompanied Logan and his parents down to U of M to watch his sister march in the U of M Band.

Abby and Logan at the game.

Towards the end of the month, the DnD Dewdz reassembled on a Saturday night for another bout of epic nerdiness. We're more or less squeezing this in every three to four weeks these days. For whatever reason, Mikey had his screen off 'cause 'he had Covid.' Not sure if that was meant to keep us safe or what. . . ?

Abby and the rest of the Journalism class show off the most recent edition of the Midland High newspaper, The Focus (where she is now an editor in charge of their social media presence and some other department within their publication.)

Showing off the new edition.

Out and about on town (I think they had suckered Courtney into driving them somewhere for sweets or drinks or something. . . as if they don't have their own cars they can take anywhere.)

Abby, hard at work at Biggby one afternoon during her shift. Not sure what's going on here. . .

And, in closing, here's yet another pic from Alayna's phone of Samson sitting on our couch, looking like an idiot. See ya next month, folks.

- Brian